Plastic rug cover



July 14,1959 E. H. CAREY 2,894,553

PLASTIC RUG COVER Filed OC. 5, 1957 United States Patent PLASTIC -RUG Earthel H. Carey, Gary, Ind.

Application October 8, 1957, Serial No. 688,960 1 Claim. (Cl. 150-52) The present invention relates to the general field of removable protective coverings, and more specifically contemplates a transparent plastic cover for rugs which is leasily fitted and readily removed.

The invention has for its principal objective the protection of rugs and other floor coverings from dust, dirt, grime, stains, and rough wear. These and other objec tives are achieved by providing the rug or licor covering with a transparent plastic cover which is quickly snapped on and off.

A related object of the invention is to provide a transparent plastic rug cover which can be fabricated by unskilled help from a simple pair of dimensions while assuring a good fit when ultimately installed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rug cover which can be easily installed without moving the rug. Similarly, of course, the cover can be removed when the ru-g is to Ibe moved or the cover replaced with a minimum of effort.

Further objects and advantages of the subject invention will become apparent as the following description of an illustrative embodiment proceeds, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective broken view of a corner of a room illustrating the subject rug cover in place on a rug with one corner flap inverted, showing the snap attachment.

Fig. 2. is an enlarged, partial cross section of the rug and cover shown in Fig. 1, taken along section line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, sectional exploded view of a snap fastener station illustrating how the snap fasteners relate to the rug cover portions and the associated rug.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, perspective broken view of a rug corner showing how the mating flaps relate to each other.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged, broken view of the underside of the rug and cover showing the relationship between the end flaps and side flaps prior to securing the snaps.

In broad outline, the invention contemplates a transparent rug cover formed from a thin sheet of transparent plastic with uniform aps about the perimeter which are folded beneath the edge of the rug and then snapped. A pair of snap fasteners are located at each corner to join the aps and secure the cover to the rug.

Referring now to the drawings, Fig. 1 shows a typical installation. There it will be seen that the rug cover contemplates a single thin sheet of transparent plastic 11 which covers the entire associated rug 12. An end llap 14 and side flap 15 overlap, and are secured by a pair of snap fasteners 16 at the corner of the rug. It has been found in practice that irrespective of the size of the rug, the optimum Width for the end flap 14 and side flap 15 is in proportion to provide a iive inch overlap.

Turning now to Fig. 4, it will be seen that the snap fastener combination 16 includes a male snap fastener 18 and a female snap fastener 19. The male fasteners 18 are oriented adjacent the outer edge of the end flap 14, preferably one inch from the edges adjacent the male snaps 18. The female vsnaps 19 are positioned along the side `flap Y15 for a mating, snapped relationship lwith the male snaps 18. y

Referring `now to Figure '5, the end -ilap relationship to `the side flaps at the cornersof the rug will befrnore 'fully appreciated. The end ap l1-4 is of single thickness except at the corner portions where the side ap 15 overlaps, providing the double-thickness end flap corners 2i) into which the male fasteners 18 have been secured, as pointed out above. The female fasteners 19 are fixed to a. single thickness of plastic, and consequently in certain size rug cover applications, require a reinforcing piece 21, as will be pointed out later.

Figure 2, a cross section of an end ap, shows the top sheet 11 overlying the nap 22 of the rug 12, the rug base or matrix 24 varying, along with the nap, in accordance with the type of rug employed. The end flap 14 underlies the rug base 24 throughout the length of the border of the rug end. The female snap fasteners 19 `are positioned, as outlined above, to receive the male snap fasteners 18 secured through the double-thick portion of plastic at the corner 2l). It will be apparent that the fasteners can be united -by finger pressure, and similarly, separated by inserting the hand into the end flap corner pocket portion 25. By providing for a double thickness on the plastic llap corner portion 2t) which holds the male snap 18, ample material is secured to the male snap fastener to resist tearing.

Where, as discussed albove, additional structure is required, a reinforcing circular plastic piece 21, as illustrated in Fig. 3, can be employed at the female fastener 19. The male fastener 18, as shown in Fig. 3, contemplates two mating sections, the exterior portion 26 and the male fastener base 28. The male fastener base 28 extends through the double thickness 20, and is received by a central pocket in the external portion 26 of the male fastener. The female fastener 19 similarly contemplates a two-piece element, the female base portion 29 and a retaining or mounting ring 30 which are joined over the side flap piece 15 and reinforcing piece 21, the outer sheet 11 and rug 12 being oriented above the snaps and flaps.

While numerous plastics and other materials may be available for forming the rug cover 11, the vinyl base plastics of a 5 to l0 mil thickness have been found highly satisfactory in commercial application. Also, the ve inch flap dimension and the one inch snap orientation have similarly been found highly satisfactory in that the patterns, cutting tables, and snap fastener jigs for a Wide variety of rug sizes can be standardized upon, thereby effecting economies of shop materials and also economies in fabricating the rug covers for an infinite variation of rug sizes. It will be appreciated, of course, that these dimensions are in the ratio of five-to-one, that is, that the spacing of the male fastener 18 from the edge 31 and side 32 of the end flap 14 is onefifth the width of the end flap 14 or side ap 15.

Although particular embodiments of the invention have been shown and `described in full here, there is no intention to thereby limit the invention to the details of such embodiments. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modications, atlernative embodiments, usages, and equivalents of the plastic rug cover as fall within the spirit and scope of the invention, specification and appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

A rug and plastic cover therefor consisting of a rug, a single sheet of transparent plastic, said sheet being proportioned to overlie the length and width of the rug and provide side flap portions reversely folded beneath the rug from parallel sides, end flap portions reversely folded beneath the rug at parallel end portions thereby defining a double thickness of plastic at the extremities of each end flap, a pair of male snaps secured in the double thick portion of the end aps and adjacent the outer edge `of said end flap positioned to point upwardly when said end flap is folded into place, said male snaps 5 being secured through a double thickness of plastic, a pair of female snaps secured in the side ap portion to engage the male snaps on the overlapping end portions, and reinforcing tabs of plastic at each female snap to References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 801,279 Van Slyke Oct. 10, 1905 1,211,548 Courts Jan. 9, 1917 1,973,114 Sherman Sept. 11, 1934 2,087,046 Rutan July 13, 1937 

